ALA Announces the New Jason Reynolds/Simon & Schuster Travel Grant

During the 2022 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Washington, DC, the ALA Council approved the Jason Reynolds/Simon & Schuster Travel Grant. The grant will cover the expenses of five (5) Black/African American youth or teen services librarians or school librarians/media specialists who work in either public or school libraries.

Recipients will receive up to $3000 (and not less than $1500) to pay for expenses related to attending the ALA Annual Conference including but not limited to travel, housing, registration, and a ticket to the Coretta Scott King Award Breakfast.

Applications will be accepted from September 1 through December 1 each year. For details regarding the selection criteria and/or more information visit the Jason Reynolds / Simon & Schuster Travel Grant page.  Winners will be announced in February of the following year. Five (5) winners will be selected annually and administered by the ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR).

The first five (5) recipients will be acknowledged during the 2023 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago at the Coretta Scott King Awards Breakfast.

The grants are funded through a generous donation provided by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the ALA has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit ala.org.

About Jason Reynolds

Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a Newbery Award Honoree, a Printz Award Honoree, a two-time National Book Award finalist, a Kirkus Award winner, a Carnegie Medal winner, a two-time Walter Dean Myers Award winner, an NAACP Image Award Winner, and the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors. He’s also the 2020–2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. His many books include All American Boys (cowritten with Brendan Kiely); When I Was the Greatest; The Boy in the Black Suit; Stamped (cowritten with Ibram X. Kendi); As Brave as You; For Every One; the Track series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu); Look Both Ways; Stuntboy, in the Meantime; Ain’t Burned All the Bright and My Name Is Jason. Mine Too. (both with Jason Griffin); and Long Way Down, which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. He lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com.

“I’m humbled by the opportunity to give back to some of the folks who’ve given so much, not just to me but to our children. I recognize that this conference is more than a good time, but also a necessary tuning fork to ensure our librarians, whether new to the stacks or seasoned veterans, get the encouragement and inspiration necessary to continue to pour into our communities.” --Jason Reynolds

“Jason is constantly looking for ways to help diversify the literary community and rightfully identified access as a key barrier. We’re so proud to be working with him to bring these travel grants to librarians who we desperately need to be a part of the ALA conversation.” -- Justin Chanda

About Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, one of the leading children’s book publishers in the world, comprises the following imprints: Aladdin, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Beach Lane Books, Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, Denene Millner Books, Libros para niños, Little Simon®, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Paula Wiseman Books, Salaam Reads, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, and Simon Spotlight®. While maintaining an extensive award-winning backlist, the division continues to publish acclaimed and bestselling books for children of all ages. Simon & Schuster publishes numerous Caldecott, Newbery, and National Book Award winners. For more information about Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.